Grotesque
by Bard Child
Summary: Aang and Katara has re settled in the Southern Airtemple but, strange hauntings have been occuring in the old temple and causing some very serious problems. Futurefic, genfic R
1. Part I

Grotesque

By Bard Child

Part I

Aang wandered through the murky sludge of the Spirit World as he looked for Lord Enma's Cave and some answers.

Three days prior, the almost thirty-year-old Avatar had been having some difficulty living in the Southern Air Temple. He and his wife Katara as well as many refugees had taken shelter in the Southern Air Temple. In half a decade it had become a thriving place again. A new home.

But weird occurrences began to crop up. First it was just simply doors slamming shut. Then, things began to go missing. Aang wondered if there were ghosts of the passed monks playing tricks. However as the years progressed it became worse. Aang remembered a woman screaming when her favorite flower vase flew across the room and smashed into the wall. People reported hearing children laughing and seeing shadows down the hall. But what finally brought Aang to the Spirit World were the reports of a _monster. _

Aang made a left and sighed, realizing he was lost. He was told by an old woman that the "Lady of the Gates" could talk to him and help him with the monster attacks. And so Aang was wandering around the Spirit World looking for the Lady of the Gates. Suddenly, the Avatar found what he was searching for.

The earth began to quake as a hand smashed through the surface. A deathly white figure pulled itself up through the hole in the ground. Aang's eyes widened as the figure was revealed to be a tall woman with the head of a rat. It had glassy black eyes and translucent skin. It held and lantern and was robed in the colors of the setting sun. Aang was awed.

"You must be the Lady of the Gates! Lao Shu Ping the Rat goddess!" She raised the lantern high. Its light shone against the silver key around her neck and the red solar disk on her brow. "And you must be the irksome Air Avatar Aang," she stated sharply while swinging her lantern around. Aang balked a bit, not knowing the temperament of this particular spirit. He bowed low to honor Lao Shu Ping, but the spirit didn't seem impressed.

"Why have you sought me, Avatar Aang?" Aang straightened and explained the circumstances of his arrival in the Spirit World.  
"There has been some odd activity in the Southern Air Temple, where I and Katara as well as many individuals from all nations have come to dwell. There have been minor events, doors closing, and laughter. But recently we had an attack. A "monster" attacked many residents and…my wife. I have come here to ask how to stop these attacks." Lao Shu Ping scratched the back of her ear and huffed.

"You are a foolish Avatar, aren't you? After dealing with many spirits in your younger years you would think you would have the wisdom to show the spirits some respect!" Aang didn't understand what he did wrong.

"What do you mean? What have I done to anger them?" Lao Shu Ping huffed again and crossed her arms.

"Avatar…I know you mean well but you have trespassed. You did not honor the dead and tortured souls of the monks and soldiers, you did not purify the place nor did you leave an offering to any of the souls and entities there. Therefore you have trespassed Avatar; the temple may have been your home but it now has terrible stains on it that you tried to cover up." Aang bowed his head in shame; he had forgotten the massacre. He may have moved on from his guilt for abandoning the nomads as a boy but apparently the spirits had not forgiven him yet. Aang looked at the rat spirit with a dejected sigh.

"What can I do to appease them?" Lao Shu Ping lifted her lantern.

"It depends on who and what. The Fire Nation ghosts are probably feeling guilty and the Air Nomads are probably fearful. I saw waves and waves of the dead turning that night. Some did not believe that they were dead and stayed. Others let their emotions and hate consume them, turning them into beasts. Some finally found happiness and were reincarnated." Aang stared at Lao Shu before rubbing on the back of his head.

"So that monster that attacked the villagers and made them leave-and attacked Katara- is…" Lao Shu Ping replied and finished his statement,

"It's a grotesque, a conglomeration of spirits and entities a form of manifested hatred. Stewed long enough it will become corporeal and cause destruction. If you do not give peace to those spirits, they will wreak their anger and pain on the living. " Aang swallowed a lump in his throat. He had a lot of work to do. He bowed to the rat spirit

"Thank you Lao Shu Ping, for your wisdom." Lao Shu Ping tilted her head and crossed her arms.

"Avatar, you should be mindful of your actions…the solstice is coming and things are only going to get worse."

**AN: Bard Child here. This is pretty much a re-write of an old plot I made years ago. It's kinda fun since I only seem to do fics with orginal characters and the old dudes XD love for my beta and R&R**


	2. Part II

Part II

Part II

Avatar Aang returned to his body and looked up at the waning moon. The new moon and the Winter Solstice was coming soon, and this was probably one of the reasons the hauntings had become so numerous and violent. Aang and the others were unwelcome guests and the ghosts were telling them to leave. Getting up he took his staff and walked out of the mediation hall and down to this quarters. He turned right to see Sokka, Suki and baby Aki. Sokka looked serious.

"I got a letter saying Katara was hurt. What happened, did extremists from the Fire Nation try to assassinate her? Are you okay Aang?" Aang motioned to follow him into his private study and he began to explain the hauntings to Sokka, Suki and now Toph who had been waiting for them.

"Okay let me get this straight. Ghosts and all sorts of spooks and creepies have been bugging you, Katara and the residents here. They have been doing weird crap and then this "grotesque" showed up and knocked the shit out Katara in the middle of the night," repeated Toph with lift of her eyebrows. Aang nodded, "Well Katara is fine now, she is in the li-" Toph interrupted:  
"So, after talking to this rat spirit of the dead, now you have to do something to make the spirits stop trying to kill you!?" Aang nodded, looking a bit shamed. Suki crossed her arms and leaned back.

"What are you going to do, Aang? The poltergeists here are making the residents leave." Aang rolled his eyes.

"I know that! But I don't know what to do." Sokka, who was bouncing Aki on his knee, cocked his head.

"Aang…have you left an offering to them, or something to acknowledge them? Maybe some of these "attacks" have been them trying to get your attention." Aang rubbed his chin.

"That's probably it, they are probably happy that I have returned but upset that I can no longer interact with them and maybe they still hurt from the past." Toph crossed her arms.  
"So are ya going to leave them a dumpling or something Twinkle Toes? And say "My bad! Didn't think you mind!" and leave them alone?" Aang got up from his seat and scratched his neck.

"No, I have something else in mind."

Katara watched as Aang began to light incense and candles. Gifts of fruit pies, ginger candy, toys, a Pai Sho board, and other offerings were left on a small stone altar. Above the altar was an airbender mandala and air whorl. Aang sat cross-legged and had his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly as he tried to contact the spirits that lurked in the temple. Slowly he felt something tugging on him. Pulled from his pose he opened his eyes to find himself in a well-lit room with several boys and a few elders enjoying the offerings given to them. Aang blinked as he noticed he was twelve again. The boys tackled him and laughed.

"Aang! Aang you came back! We all knew you would! Thank you for the presents! I missed having ginger candy!" The older monks looked at the boys sourly as they took the Pai Sho board. One took the pipe and smoke-weed and seemed quite pleased. The older monks bowed to Aang and said thank you.

"These will do nicely. Thank you for acknowledging us Avatar. Now…now we can rest." The younger boys snacked on the treats as the elders disappeared. Aang tried to get their attention.

"Hey can I ask you guys a favor?" The boys all looked at each other and one stepped forward.

"Sure Avatar, anything you want!" Aang smiled he leaned back on his arms and said, "Can you boys be a little more respectful of the people living here? I am sorry I didn't ask permission when we moved back in. I apologize for trespassing and angering you." The boy smiled softly.

"It's okay Aang, we're sorry for the pranks, we were just worried that you had forgotten us. So we did a few things to see if you could still hear and see us. We didn't mean to hurt anyone, but some of us are ready to go home anyway so we won't be bothering you and your wife. However, I'll still hang out and keep an eye on you and your family, Aang, if that's okay?" Aang smiled and nodded.

"That's fine as long as you don't hurt or scare anyone." The boy's face brightened. "Thank you so much Aang!" Aang got up and then asked the boy who was still lingering on:.

"Can you tell me your name?" The boys all began to disappear leaving the last one smiling and waving good-bye. Aang blinked and realized he was still in the altar room. The altar was empty. It seemed that like nomads were no longer going to be a problem. Aang got up and heard a small voice.

_I'm Tenzin, Avatar! _

After a few weeks, things finally returned to normal. Katara was happy that the haunting stopped. Aang enjoyed the peace in the temple again. Occasionally he would hear laughter in empty halls, but he realized that it was just Tenzin. Each night he would leave a peach on the altar only to find it missing an hour later or less. However as the day of the solstice arrived, all the good that was happening was suddenly ruined with a scream and a smash.


	3. Part III

Part III

Katara used her water whip to distract the monster from raiding the cabinets in the west cook room. Little Aki was in the corner crying as the grotesque reared up its slimy slug-like body, mirroring Katara's water whip with a slimy whip of its own, entangling with Katara's. The waterbender used another one but the creature batted it away. Then suddenly it disappeared, leaving a pool of ectoplasm in the cook room. Katara rushed to pick up crying Aki, who was unharmed. Sokka and Suki rushed in at that moment, faces stricken. Suki shrieked, "Aki! My little girl!" She took the toddler from Katara, all color drained from her face.

"What in the ten hells happened!? What happened to my daughter?" shouted Sokka to his sister.

Katara relayed what happened to Sokka and Suki: "The monster appeared when I was getting rice from the cook room. Aki was with me when I heard a smash and Aki screamed when the monster appeared behind me. I pushed Aki out of the way and tried to distract it away from her. It's gone now. I thought Aang stopped the attacks." Aang arrived in time just to hear that.

"I thought I did too. I don't understand why it's attacking now!" Aang was upset and angry. Upset that the creature was still manifesting, and angry at himself for letting someone else get hurt. With the arrival of the solstice, it was going to be twice as hard to exorcise. "Sokka, Suki I think you need to go back home to Kyoshi Island. It's too dangerous to be here and I don't want my niece to be in harm's way again." Suki protested but Sokka cut in.

"He's right, this isn't something we're used to. When it comes to anything dealing with spirits, it's best to leave it up to Aang. We need to go back home until it's safe to return." Suki frowned, rocking her daughter who was now calm. She looked pensive before sighing.

Suki frowned but knew that Sokka was right, the Kyoshi warrior looked to her husband and turned around. "Fine we're heading back."

Katara looked around for Aang to find he had left and Toph was in his place sniffing at the ectoplasm. "Eww, ghost slime."

Katara looked confused. "Toph…where's Aang?"

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The Avatar flew back to the altar with a peach and a kendama for Tenzin. His brow was furrowed in agitation. He set the things hastily on the altar and lit the incense. In the lotus position he meditated. He needed to talk to Tenzin, and fast. Back in the place he was before, Tenzin was waiting for him, holding the toy and the fruit.

"You're angry at me, Avatar. I failed you. I tried to stop it. I tried but it was to strong, and it's only going to get stronger." His voice fell apart into sobs. Aang sighed. He was angry but seeing how guilty Tenzin felt and how he took the blame made Aang realized that he shouldn't direct all his frustration on Tenzin. It wasn't his fault.

"Tenzin, how do I get rid of the grotesque? It's the solstice, and the beast should be completely corporeal Tenzin wiped his tears away.

"I know…I was distracting it on this plane, keeping it busy. But it's going to attack again tonight. And it won't sink back into the spirit world. It will stay in your world. And I can only keep it occupied for so long."

Aang gave out a frustrated sigh.

"That doesn't answer my question, Tenzin. How do I keep it in the spirit world?" Tenzin shrugged.

"I don't know. It's not just one person, Avatar. It's several. I don't know what all of them want. Perhaps forgiveness, Avatar." The ghost jerked his head around. "I have to go! It's corporealizing in the mediation hall! The sun is getting ready to set; this is your only opportunity to stop it! I'll try one more thing to keep it here!" Tenzin was gone; Aang was back in the altar room. The Avatar took his glider staff and flew.

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The Avatar finally reached the halls and noticed people blocking the large doors. Katara rushed up to Aang, distraught. "Aang, where have you been? The monster is back! Can you do you something?"

Aang walked up to the door. He could hear its screams and thrashings. "I am, Katara. I have to do it now, before the sun sets." He pressed his hand to the door. He then looked to Katara. "Give me one more chance. You need to get everyone out of here. I can do this alone."

Katara frowned and crossed her arms. "I was afraid you'd say that. I know you can do this Aang; you calmed Hei Bai. You can calm this…thing."

Aang smiled wryly. "It's called a grotesque." Those were his final words before stepping into the meditation hall.

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The grotesque thrashed about, knocking over ancient antiquities and artifacts. Aang calmly walked up to the creature. The grotesque turned its massive slug-body to Aang who stood by passively. It had the claws of a scorpion, its head was a mass of writhing worms, it had a horrid scent of burnt flesh and it shrieked. It was a sound that was both pitiable and terrifying. It slung a whip of slime at Aang who blocked with a gust of air.

He called out to the grotesque, "Creature of hate, anguish and pain! Why are you attacking my family and friends?" The creature made another mournful sound and threw another slime-whip. "Aaaavaaatarrrssshhh, you…you beeeeetraaaay..." The slushy, liquid voice made Aang's bones shudder. He evaded the slime whips and the claws of the monster.

Aang responded, "Creature! I am sorry for my betrayal. Please forgiv-" Aang's sentence was cut off when something cold and gusty pushed him into a wall from the left. As his body slammed against the stone, he looked up to see a pale figure impaled on a bony spine, pinned to the floor It was Tenzin, who had just pushed Aang from the spine that was supposed to be for him. Tenzin turned his head to Aang and looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Aang…I couldn't keep him back. Please, Aang, jus-!" A veil of slime covered Tenzin, devouring him and making him another part of the horrid conglomeration. Aang watched as the creature slithered over Tenzin, laughing throatily.

"You…can't win. Gakahahah!" Aang dodged another bone spine as he struggled to combat this creature that seemed to grow stronger every minute. Aang didn't know what to do. The sun was setting now; come nightfall this creature would become corporeal permanently. There was no way he could win. Once it became a part of the living world it would be unstoppable.

Aang remembered something as he sent a gust of air and then a wall of stone that did nothing to stop the grotesque from its assault. Maybe it wants forgiveness. Aang rolled to the right and sent a fireball at it. It burned a bit of its slimly body away, which regenerated moments later. Aang decided to give Tenzin's suggestion a shot.

Bowing low to the ground, he spoke loudly, "I understand your anger and your grief; I wish to forgive you, spirit, for all of your sins and transgressions here. Please, spirit, I only wish you peace and closure." The grotesque didn't take the opportunity to strike the Avatar; instead it burbled and spoke.

"Avatar…aaaaavaataaarsssshhaaa, it's hot..it's so hot! It's burning!" and then, "I want to go home! I want to see my wife! Please please let this be over!" Aang shuddered as several voices spoke and called out, some begging for mercy, others wishing damnation, some just crying. Aang realized he should have done this from the start. This wasn't hate from the grotesque, this was sorrow, and this was pity. (ed: works for me!) He lifted his head up to the creature that looked like it was melting piece by piece. Aang continued to forgive the monster. "I am sorry for all the sorrow I have caused. I forgive you, I forgive you all and I too ask for you to forgive me."

(ed: made this a new paragraph) The monster screamed and shuddered as it fell apart and melted into separate beings. Aang eyes widened: it wasn't just a handful of ghosts, but hundreds! Soliders, eyes dead and guilty. Young acolytes and old monks. There were even the hulking spirits of a few bison. They all stared at Aang. Now divided, they chanted as the twilight was turning their spirits into freezing mist: "Remember, remember, remember, remember..." One by one the ghosts faded into the icy mist.

Aang stood up and wrapped his arms around himself, not knowing if he totally destroyed the grotesque. Chattering he asked, "Will you at-t-t-tack the t-t-t-temple again?" He was answered with silence. Sighing, he walked to the door, feeling the coldness creep into his bones when a small voice said, no…no we won't. Aang turned around, his breath misting in front of him.

The grotesque was not truly obliterated, just made harmless. He hoped to the spirits this would not happened against as he left the room.

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Three months passed and the temple was not attacked again. Aang had a chill for several weeks until it vanished suddenly. He explained to Katara what happened, and she seemed both sad and relieved. "Well at least it didn't gobble you up," she said, smiling softly at Aang.

When Sokka and Suki visited again with their daughter Aki, Suki asked a question: "What about that room? Will it be permanently sealed?"

Aang nodded and explained, "Th miasma is freezing to the touch and probably dangerous, and there is nothing I can do. I did however prevent it from forming into a solid mass. The fog is just leftovers. I consulted with Lao Shu Ping recently; she's impressed that I even divided it. She says that only time will wash away the mist."

Suki nodded, accepting the answer. "I suppose the crisis is finally over, people are returning, everything is back to normal." Sokka gave a thumbs up to Aang, "Nice going though, no more creepies!"

Aang laughed and retuned the thumbs up. "Now I'm going to feed Appa and finish up some chores," he said. Standing up, he kissed Katara's cheek before walking down the hall.

Sitting by the old altar, which he had not visited since that night, Aang sighed and left a peach. It was an empty gesture since Tenzin was probably reincarnated, or maybe part of the miasma. Still, it was Aang's way of saying 'thank you' to him. He had saved Aang's life and died…again. Turning away, Aang was about to open the door when he heard that same small voice.

"_Thank you." _

The End.

**AN: Sorta a holloween-ish kinda fic, I really had a hard time writing this, I might have to edit again. D: Anyway please read and review. **

**Bard Child. Special thanks to Bob and Pete. **


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